The Small House Movement and Tiny Living Spaces

Does this happen to you?  You see a link on Facebook, or Yahoo, or Huffington post, or whatever, and you click on it, and then you see something interesting on the bottom of the post and click on that, and the next thing you know, you have spent an hour reading mindless things.  But then you come across something that blows your mind!  I found this amazing article on “She Sheds” today, that took me to “Shedquarters” and then I moved onto “The Small House Movement”.   Even though I am getting ready to move into my new larger home, I do love the idea of tiny living spaces.  These little spaces can be perfect for a backyard escape, a potting shed, a “man cave”, or even an entire home living space!  I love the idea of smaller space living which is what my husband and I do when we are on the sailboat in the summer.  Thinking about how efficient space is on a boat gives you an idea on how you could live in one of these tiny spaces.

How lovely would it be to have a little garden shed like this to escape to?  This is such pretty little conservatory-like potting shed with equipped with everything you need to start seeds, nurture cuttings and just be at peace with your plants and with nature.  I would have to have a comfy chair inside.  I can’t imagine being anywhere more lovely when the rain begins to fall, pitter pattering and drip-dripping on the the glass roof.

Could you be happy living in a space as tiny as this?  If I had a home in a climate where I could spend a good deal of time outside I could live in one of these tiny spaces.  These look so cozy, and the beauty of these spaces is having a small amount of storage space, so you can’t collect all of that stuff so unnecessary to your life.

This looks like a beach house I could afford!  I might, however, be a little hesitant to own a place this close to the water, but wouldn’t this be a beautiful place to take an afternoon nap after a long walk on the beach to even to tuck into for a good night’s sleep after a full day of sun and sand.  Even if you just used this for an escape from the sun or a place to change out of wet bathing suits, this is a heavenly little “beach shack” isn’t it?

How about this sweet little office space.  I know my husband likes to actually get out of the house when he is working from home.  I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but our new home has such a space, and we are so excited to have that space, both inside and ‘outside’ of the house.  What blogger wouldn’t enjoy sitting in an office like this to work at their craft?  I would have to make sure I continued to focus on my work in this pretty little space instead of daydreaming out of the pretty doors at the view beyond.

Could you live in this adorable little 250 square foot space?  There is this whole small house movement and this one looks like it has a marvelous view, and if I could look outside and see space beyond the inside, I don’t think I would feel closed in or claustrophobic.  This little living space has a sleeping loft, a kitchen and a bathroom.  That is a glass garage door that opens to the deck which really opens the space to make it feel so much bigger!

I could settle down in this little space that I have to call a tiny cottage.  I could sit here with my sister and just hang out for hours, or have one of my granddaughters climb up in this comfy settee to hear a story read to her.  The shabby chic style of this little cottage makes it so welcoming and cozy.  Even if I was in the house looking out at this space, it would make me happy.

How smart is this tiny little house?  This is not just a backyard shed or office, this is a complete home!  There is a stand up height sleeping loft, a kitchen, a bathroom with a full size jacuzzi and a little electric fireplace.  I strongly believe there is a place for these kind of tiny residences in our modern world.  Have little communities designed around a central meeting space and give everyone their own little house.  These could be great for young people trying to start out or seniors who just don’t want to take care of a large space any longer.

This little place is dreamy, isn’t it?  Especially when you see it reflected in this lovely little pond.  This almost looks like a child’s playhouse, doesn’t it?  I could see myself escaping the real world by stepping onto this tiny little cottage and closing the world away behind me.

This light filled space would be perfect for the artist who wants a studio out of the main house so he or she can focus on work while in the work space and leave it behind to retreat to the home when work is done.  This looks like it is large enough to also serve as a tiny home.

A lot of people have given up their homes and gone the RV route.  Have you seen all of these incredible Airstream makeovers?  That will be an entire post one of these days!  Perhaps you just want to add one of these little trailers to your backyard as a guest house. If your community allows, you can park one of these cute little Airstream trailers behind your house and use it in all kinds of creative ways.

Doesn’t this little Victorian house look like a playhouse you would have seen in a backyard?  This is actually a fully functioning home!  Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, it is all there!  Tiny Texas Houses builds so many unique and creative homes it is worth the time to head over and check out all of the little houses they have built.

Last but not least, who wouldn’t love to climb the steps to this lovely little cottage?  I could have this in my garden in a minute!  Could you scale back your living to live in one of these tiny homes?  Would you like a tiny cottage in your backyard to escape to?  There is so much to ponder here.